Life at the Forge

The Daily Goings-on of a Blacksmith

After a good, hearty breakfast Graham starts his mobile farrier rounds, visiting the villages within our local area. Years ago, most villages had their own Blacksmith shop / forge. You may have noticed when driving through country villages that there are various dwellings called ‘The Forge’ or the ‘Old Smithy’. These are the buildings where an old forge proudly stood, mainly on road side, allowing for easy access of cart horses and for others to be brought to be re-shod.

Image: Graham at work in the Forge

Image: Work in progress

On occasions we still have horses brought to our forge, for some this is quite a rare sight. After a morning of attending to horses, Graham is back in the forge for iron work. Sometimes Graham makes special shoes by hand, but in today’s modern world, most shoes are bought ready made and with the skill of the farrier, they are heated and hammered to fit the foot of the horse.

Image: Our Horse shoe store – a variety of sizes ready for fitting.

Blacksmithing origins first trace back to 1500BC. The Hittites discovered the process of forging and tempering iron ore. As the Iron age advanced, a process to produce wrought iron was developed through reducing natural iron ore with heat. This new substance could be used to make simple tools that proved much tougher and sharper than stone.

Here are a few items made to order in the last few weeks…

Image: Made-to-order – some wrought iron bollards a chain when attached to the top hooks will cordon off a private driveway.

Image: Made-to-order – A pair of kitchen Roll Holders a request from a horse owner using her own horses shoes these will last a lifetime and always remind her of her old friends.